scott pelley" is next. >> we'll be right back here at 6:00. remember the latest news and weather, always on cbssf.com. ♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> pelley: pointing to putin. >> not much happens in russia without vladimir putin. >> pelley: the president has no doubt putin was behind the hacking of the democratic party and tells him: >> cut it out. >> pelley: also tonight, arctic weather makes highways treacherous, and try fighting a fire with ice. gas prices going up. >> reporter: they might go up how much? >> some communities across the great lakes have already seen gas prices go up 40 to 50 cents a gallon. >> are we ready to roll? >> pelley: and steve hartman, with a dragnet for folks in need of holiday cheer. >> hi, krystal. here's $1,000. this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley.

>> pelley: this is our western edition. today, president obama made it clear, he believes vladimir putin ordered a plot to break into democratic party computers with the intent of throwing the election to donald trump. mr. obama said he warned putin during this summit meeting in september that russia must not attempt to hack into any systems for counting votes. and mr. obama said there is no evidence that they did that. but in a news conference, the president said the russians did hack into the democratic national committee and the emails of hillary clinton's campaign chairman. he suggested that mr. trump and republicans aided the russian plot by embracing the embarrassing leaks that dominated the media before election day. margaret brennan is at the white house. >> not much happens in russia without vladimir putin. >> reporter: president obama left little doubt he believed vladimir putin was involved with the russian hacking, and he

confronted him about it two months before the election. >> in early september, when i saw president putin in china, i felt that the most effective way to ensure that that didn't happen was to talk to him directly and tell him to cut it out. there were going to be some serious consequences if he didn't. >> reporter: mr. obama publicly vowed to strike back at russia for its interference, but he assured americans that the votes cast for donald trump were legitimate. he said moscow's election tampering should concern all americans, and questioned how some republicans could believe putin's public denials rather than the u.s. intelligence community's conclusions. >> over a third of republican voters approve of vladimir putin, the former head of the k.g.b. ronald reagan would roll over in his grave. >> reporter: mr. obama also said putin has blood on his hands for

the atrocities in syria and blamed russia and iran for keeping the brutal dictator bashar al-assad in power. yet, the president acknowledged the images of suffering children in aleppo do haunt him, and he feels responsible for failing to stop it. >> i cannot claim that we've been successful. and so, that's something that, as is true with a lot of issues and problems around the world, i have to go to bed with every night. >> reporter: the president said time and again, he's considered using military force to protect civilians, but ultimately defended his decision not to do so. >> unless we were all in, and willing to take over syria, we were going to have problems, and then everything else was tempting because we wanted to do something, and it sounded like the right thing to do, but it was going to be impossible to do this on the cheap.

>> reporter: as the president left the podium, he was asked if this was his very last news conference. he paused, said he'd have to think about it, and said he really enjoyed today's session, scott. >> pelley: margaret brennan for us, margaret, thank you. mr. obama also said he will retaliate for the election hacks in a time and place of his choosing and in ways that may be seen or unseen. jeff pegues has learned more about the investigation. >> reporter: in a memo to c.i.a. staff, director john brennan said that he, f.b.i. director, james comey, and director of national intelligence james clapper were now all on the same page about the scope, nature, and intent of the russian interference in our presidential election. ♪ i'm proud to be an american where at least i know i'm free ♪ >> reporter: that intent was in part to help donald trump once he became the republican nominee. but at the start, investigators say the operation was designed to smear hillary clinton, whom putin has long viewed as a threat.

>> putin is convinced that america has a secret plan to destroy russia. >> reporter: cyber-security expert jim lewis thinks the russians wanted to send a message. >> when they want to be hidden, they can stay hidden. and so one of the signs that this was a political action is, the russians were really noisy about it. they didn't mind that we knew it was them. >> reporter: even after being exposed, an intelligence source said the intrusions increased and the breaches continue to this day. a source said the "russians are hacking the hell out of us" and "we aren't doing anything about it." what is really going to make a difference with vladimir putin? >> well, vlad is a bit of a tough guy, and so telling him you're going to send him a very angry letter probably won't do it. we have to do something that sends a political message and that says relationships and money. >> reporter: president obama says the u.s. will respond. among the options on the table are sanctions or an offensive cyberattack. but, scott, there's no historical precedent to draw on here as the administration tries to avoid an all-out cyber war.

>> pelley: jeff pegues, thanks. well, mr. trump has mocked the allegations of russian hacking, but it appeared today that the president-elect is having a change of tweet. here's major garrett. >> reporter: in the past 24 hours, mr. trump offered two tweets that for the first time accepted the possibility of politically motivated russian hacking. this morning mr. trump acknowledged that the hack revealed damaging information about the democratic national committee. yesterday he wrote, "if russia or some other entity was hacking, why did the white house wait so long to act? why did they only complain after hillary lost?" in fact, intelligence officials publicly blamed russia in october, a full month before the election. but the tweets contrast with mr. trump's previous skepticism that russia was responsible. >> it could be lots of other people. it also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds, okay.

>> reporter: last night, hillary clinton told her major donors that the moscow-ordered hacking led to her defeat. the "new york times" obtained audio of the remarks. >> reporter: president obama agreed, but also cast blame on the media. >> i think she's worked tirelessly on behalf of the american people, and i don't think she was treated fairly during the election. i think the coverage of her and the issues was troubling. >> reporter: mr. trump and his supporters also found coverage of the campaign troubling, though for entirely different reasons. scott, those close to mr. trump say he's hesitant to fully accept or even call for an

investigation into russian hacking out of fear it would undercut or delegitimize his election. >> pelley: major garrett, thanks. well, mr. trump's criticism of china may have been answered today when the chinese navy committed an apparent act of piracy against a u.s. navy ship. the pentagon says an underwater drone was stolen in the international waters of the south china sea. david martin is following this. >> reporter: the unmanned underwater drone does not contain any sensitive technology, but it's worth $150,000 and the u.s. has lodged a diplomatic protest, demanding it back. according to the pentagon, a chinese navy ship stole it in broad daylight. it happened as a u.s. navy research vessel, the "bowditch," was recovering underwater drones after testing waters off the coast of the philippines, data which can be used to hunt for chinese submarines.

the chinese ship, which had been shadowing the "bowditch," swooped in, put a small boat in the water, snatched one of the drones and disappeared over the horizon, ignoring radio calls to return it. u.s. navy research vessels are routinely shadowed and harassed by chinese ships as part of the shoving match for dominance in the south china sea. this incident, in which a pair of chinese trawlers harassed and almost collided with another navy research ship, occurred in 2009. but usually, those incidents occur much closer to the chinese mainland than this one. only the chinese know if this was intended as a signal to the incoming trump administration. pentagon officials say it looks like the chinese ship simply saw a chance to disrupt american operations and went for it, scott. >> pelley: david martin at the pentagon tonight. david, thank you. a moment ago, we heard from president obama on syria. in the ruined city of aleppo, these green buses came to evacuate civilians bombarded by syrian and russian planes.

but the evacuation operation has been interrupted by fighting, and elizabeth palmer picks up our story. >> reporter: around the clock, buses rolled from east aleppo into rebel-held areas of the countryside nearby, and the exodus continued this morning, a stream of ambulances carrying the injured. it's estimated that 8,000 to 9,000 civilians and rebel fighters have left so far, crammed into any vehicle that moved, with no choice but to start again in unknown territory. some found comfort, even joy, as they were reunited with friends they weren't even sure were alive. but for most, the evacuation has been both shock and heartbreak. mohammed was a teacher at aleppo university. >> i cried. i left my country. i left my homeland. i was kicked out of my country. i was kicked out of my homeland. >> reporter: then, suddenly, late this afternoon, someone

started shelling. you can hear it in the background of this syrian tv report. the reporter, unsure where it's coming from. each side accused the other of opening fire. but almost immediately, the evacuation stopped. meanwhile, inside east aleppo, thousands are still waiting to get out as opposition activist lina shamy reported this afternoon. >> very few people could leave the city, very few people. and still thousands of civilians in the city with a lot of injured. >> reporter: and, scott, one of the convoys that left aleppo today was actually turned back on the road, witnesses say, by one of the iranian militias fighting with assad. so the people who were on board, hundreds of them, are now back in the ruined city where the temperature has dipped to almost freezing. >> pelley: liz palmer in london. liz, thanks.

well, freezing weather here from the pacific northwest to the coast of maine is making the last weekend of autumn feel like the dead of winter. in some places, there are only a few degrees of separation between the lows and the highs. in boston today, it was a battle of fire and ice as water froze instantly to firefighters and their gear. jamie yuccas bundled up for this report. >> reporter: whiteout conditions and icy roads made driving a nightmare in parts of the country today. last night, in portland, oregon, it looked like drivers were playing dominoes with their cars. in subzero temperatures, boston firefighters battled a six-alarm fire, which quickly turned to ice. and central minnesota commuters slid into ditches while trying to get to work this morning. the city of minneapolis loaded up 45 to 50 snow plows to keep roads clear. the twin cities are expecting close to a foot of snow. plow driver al birr says even after the snow stops falling,

extreme temperatures create a bigger danger. >> subzero temperatures just change the whole chemistry and the chemicals themselves in how it's going to affect your drive. >> reporter: so sometimes it gets to a point you just can't do anything. >> not when it gets to this temperature that may hit sunday, you know, 35 below, winds blowing. it's-- it's-- that's a hit and miss. >> reporter: wind chills will make it feel like it's 40 degrees below zero sunday morning. some sporting goods stores are selling out of jackets. salesman dave mccall: >> the down jackets, warm underwear, warm socks, warm boots, definitely the items that are flying off the shelves right now, for sure. >> reporter: minneapolis is set to have its coldest december temperatures this weekend in more than 16 years. but it's not stopping people from coming out to this holiday market. scott, we think it may be because there's also a warming house on site. >> pelley: jamie yuccas for us, thank you, jamie. heavy rain drenched the california coast. mud from the san gabriel

mountains flowed into the foothills. an l.a. county sheriff's helicopter lifted two women from an island in the san gabriel river, lifted them, along with their four dogs and six puppies. coming up next on the "cbs evening news," the rising cost of america's holiday road trip. , isn't it time to let the real you shine through? introducing otezla (apremilast). otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable after just 4 months, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't take otezla if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. otezla may increase the risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts,

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>> pelley: a.a.a. says more than 93 million people are planning road trips this holiday season. there will be more cars on the road than last year, and dean reynolds reports, gas will cost more. >> reporter: at the marathon service station in naperville, illinois, gasoline prices are cause for concern. >> well, they've definitely gone up. >> reporter: jodi newcomb is bracing for what's down the road. >> it will impact us. we're driving to iowa for christmas, so we're definitely going to feel it. >> reporter: in naperville, the price of a gallon has risen

between 20 and 38 cents in just over two weeks. patrick dehaan is the senior petroleum analyst at gasbuddy.com. what's going on with gas prices? >> well, they are headed north in just about every community across the country, starting to see gas prices go up. >> reporter: bay city, michigan, up 42 cents. evansville, indiana, up 33 cents. lake county, illinois, up 31 cents. 39 cities across the country up 25 cents in the last month. the reason is classic supply and demand. opec, the oil-produced cartel, decided to cut production last month, and because less supply means greater demand, prices at the pump started rising. but for the last couple of years, opec had been going in the opposite direction, overproducing and driving prices down, hoping lower profits would eventually price american suppliers out of the market. but the u.s. producers in north dakota, texas, and louisiana,

have proven far more resilient than opec anticipated. so now, opec's influence is diminishing. >> u.s. shale producers will turn the key and that will act to limit oil prices from increasing too high. >> reporter: for now, the expectation of oil market experts is that gasoline prices will probably rise gradually well into 2017, scott, and could reach as high as $3 a gallon in some areas. >> pelley: dean reynolds, thanks. coming up, a pint-sized super hero saves the day. i sure had a lot to think about. what about the people i care about? ...including this little girl. and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital, but wondered, was this the best treatment for me? so i asked my doctor. and he recommended eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. yes, eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots.

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>> pelley: james corden had a special gift last night for his "late, late show" fans. carpool karaoke, christmas style. >> happy christmas! ♪ i don't want a lot for christmas ♪ >> pelley: how many stars can you name? cordon worked on this all year, just like santa's elves. a young superhero saved the day

in washington. kaheem is five years old from owings mills, maryland, who put on his cape and used his special powers to save santa from a ferris wheel. he solved a mystery for house speaker paul ryan at the capital. kaheem has leukemia, and the make a wish foundation set up his big day. he said his dream is to be a hero like a firefighter or a cop. today, kaheem gave his heroes a superhero they could look up to. steve hartman is next. coaching means making tough choices. jim! you're in! but when you have high blood pressure and need cold medicine that works fast, the choice is simple. coricidin hbp is the only brand that gives powerful cold symptom relief without raising your blood pressure. coricidin hbp.

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uniformed officers teaming up with a plainclothes santa to serve and protect the spirit of the season. here's steve hartman "on the road." >> reporter: this week, the kansas city, kansas, police department was on the take. >> i'm going to give each of you $1,000. >> reporter: each officer in this room got at least a grand, courtesy of the anonymous wealthy businessman i know only as "secret santa." >> this is the day for you to just have fun. we ready to roll? >> reporter: their assignment was to go out into the community and find people who looked like they could use an extra $100. people like gwendolyn jones. >> and i told my family already that we're not going to be able to do christmas this year because i just don't have the money to do it. >> reporter: didn't have the money to do it, until now. and that's how it went. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: benjamin after benjamin. >> this is for real! >> reporter: armed assault after wonderful armed assault.

most of the people they just happened upon, but some, they sought out. officers james tourney knew of a homeless woman staying at this motel with her two young children. >> hi, krystal. >> reporter: in fact, he is paying for their room out of his own pocket. >> here's $1,000. yeah. >> reporter: he gave her everything. >> you make me a better person. >> thank you. >> there are men and women that wear the badge, and they stay on the line to protect us and to serve. >> reporter: it is no coincidence that secret santa chose the kansas city, kansas police department to give away its money this year. he's from around here, and this relatively small department lost two officers in the line of duty just ten weeks apart. allowing them this privilege was meant as a reminder of the inherent goodness in people. >> it's really neat because they see that you're a human being, too. you're just like them. and i think the uniform goes

away and you just realize that we're all the same people and that's-- that's the gift to me for this. >> reporter: in the end, the officers gave out nearly $30,000 to random strangers and special causes. >> thank you so much. oh, my god! >> absolutely. >> reporter: those on the receiving end will no doubt have a merrier christmas, while those who gave it away got to keep something even better-- a message for a happier new year. >> we have angels. >> yes. >> in the heavens, but here, you are the angels. you can touch us. >> reporter: you can take that the bank. steve hartman, "on the road" in kansas city, kansas. >> pelley: and in the famous phrase, "that's what christmas is all about, charlie brown." for all of us at cbs news all around the world, i'm scott pelley. see you sunday on "60 minutes." good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

as the temperatures are aboo plunge. good evening, the bay area settling in for one of the coldest nights of the season. a freeze warning in effect as the temperatures are about to plunge. good evening. i'm elizabeth cook. >> i'm ken bastida. allen and veronica are off tonight. looking live at the san francisco skyline. it is going to be a chilly night in the city all around the bay and even colder inland. kpix 5's emily turner looking at how low temperatures will dip this weekend. emily. >> they are going to dip even into the 20s this weekend of the it's going to be very chilly. we have a cold weather alert in effect starting at midnight until 8 a.m. not just for tonight but also for tomorrow night. there's a freeze warning inland and a frost advisory in the coastal areas and around the bay. inland in the 20s to the low 30s.

the coastal areas along the bay the 30s to the low 40s. so very, very chilly. remember to protect your plants, your pets, maybe wrap some of those pipes and certainly your people. our overnight lows are going to be chilly. 28 in santa rosa. the coolest that we're looking at at the moment. low 30s inland. 33 in fairfield. 30 in concord. in the south bay not quite as cold. 35 degrees. and then the warmest we'll see which i hesitate to even use the word warm is going to be 39 degrees in oakland. 42 in san francisco. so most of those areas around the water are going to be not quite as cold. i can tell you just how cold we're going to be tomorrow during the day in just a little bit. >> thank you. it's all about the clean-up today after heavy rains and winds walloped the bay area. one of the hardest-hit areas is also one of the most vulnerable to flooding. kpix 5's jackie ward is live in san anselmo where they had a close call with the